Amritpal Singh and Waris Punjab De: Everything you need to know about them

During the ongoing crackdown against elements of Amritpal-led 'Waris Punjab De' and persons attempting to disturb peace and harmony in the state, the state police have so far arrested 112 people

The Punjab government on Monday extended the suspension of mobile internet and SMS services in the state till Tuesday noon as the hunt for Amritpal Singh continued for the third day. The services were suspended on Saturday. Singh's uncle and driver have already surrendered before the Police.

"It is directed that all mobile internet services (2G/3G/45/5G/CDMA/GPRS), all SMS services (excluding banking and mobile recharge) and all dongle services provided on mobile networks, except the voice calls, in the territorial jurisdiction of Punjab shall be further suspended from March 20 (12.00 hours) to March 21 (12.00 hours) in the interest of public safety, to prevent any incitement to violence and to prevent any disturbance of peace and public order," according to an order of the home affairs.

The broadband services are not being suspended so that banking facilities, hospital services and other essential services are not disrupted, said the order issued by the additional chief secretary.

According to reports, the Police have also seized a Mercedes car used by the Khalistan sympathiser, Singh. During the ongoing crackdown operations against elements of Amritpal-led "Waris Punjab De" and persons attempting to disturb peace and harmony in the state, the state police have so far arrested 112 people.

The crackdown came weeks after Amritpal and his supporters barged into the Ajnala police station near Amritsar, extracting an assurance that an arrested man would be released. With the state on high alert, senior officers of Punjab police have asserted that the law and order situation is under control and appealed to the public not to lend an ear to rumours.

What is Waris Punjab De?

Waris Punjab De, which roughly translates as "Heirs of Punjab", is an organisation floated by actor-turned-activist Sandeep Singh alias Deep Sidhu on September 30, 2021. The organisation's primary aim was "to protect and fight for rights of Punjab and raise social issues".

Before Amritpal Singh, Sidhu headed Waris Punjab De. In an event in 2021, Sidhu said that the organisation would "fight for the rights of Punjab against the Centre and raise voice whenever there will be any attack on the culture, language, social fabric and rights of Punjab."

"It is a platform for those who are not satisfied with the social reality of Punjab in the current scenario. It is a social platform. We take everything to elections but I want to clarify that it is a social platform. It is not a poll gimmick. We are not supporting any political party. Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian, it is for all those who will fight with us for the rights of Punjab. Before 1947, we lived together in harmony, but the British snatched that brotherhood from us. Our Gurus fought against casteism," he had said.

The organisation took a pro-Khalistan turn after Sidhu extended his support for the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) of Simranjit Singh Mann.

On February 15, 2022, Sidhu died in a car accident while travelling to Punjab to campaign for Mann. Mann later won the Lok Sabha seat from Sangrur. He demanded a judicial probe into Sidhu's death. Sidhu was cremated amid pro-Khalistan slogans in Ludhiana.

On September 29, 2022, Amritpal, a Dubai returnee dressed like Jarnail Singh Bindranwale, took over as the head of Waris Punjab De. The ceremony took place at Rode in Moga district, the ancestral village of Bhindranwale.

Sidhu's family has, however, distanced themselves from Singh.

Who is Amritpal Singh?

Born in Amritsar's Jalluur Khera village in 1993, Singh passed his class 12th in India and then moved to Dubai in 2012. There, he worked in his uncle's transport company.

In 2022, he was anointed as the head of "Waris Punjab De". Singh and his supporters claim that Sidhu was murdered by the "state". Singh never met Sidhu but was "strongly influenced" by him. Singh said he stopped shaving his beard and cutting his hair in 202 at Sidhu's advice.

In 2022, after his "dastaar bandi" (turban-tying) ceremony, he started dressing like Bhindranwale. Some followers even started calling him Bhindranwale 2.0. He has been espousing the cause of Khalistan on Facebook for a while now.

In an interview with a news channel, Singh said he was drawn to activism after Bargari sacrilege and Behbal Kalan firing in 2015.

There are several cases registered against Singh. In February, a man filed a complaint at Ajnala police station that he was kidnapped and beaten by associates of Singh.

An associate, Lovepreet Singh Toofan, was arrested. Later, his supporters clashed with Punjab Police. They were reportedly armed with automatic guns and sharp weapons.